Knitting, Crocheting, and the crafty Life in my nutshell

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Tag Archives: amineko

I thought that once March wrapped up, we might be able to start April off on the right foot. Well, I may as well have started April off with a visit to the Ministry of Silly Walks because holy chickens, it has been a whirlwind of activity and not all of it is great. You’re here for the fiber projects, and what I have to share today is part of a new HeartCat. This one is a birthday present that I think might be a belated gift by the time it is done, but I will pres on. In the photo you can see one arm of the HeartCat, my painted fingernails (such a rarity, but a fun distraction), and my new specially commissioned project bag! Amanda, of SewKnitPicky and Knot a Podcast was so great to work with me for this bag. I love it! Little kitties and a heart zipper pull – perfect, as this bag is intended for HeartCat projects.

Hooray for getting things finished! I’m now in a weird lull – I have many WIPs that are not calling to me, and other projects I want to start but that requires the effort of gathering all the supplies. Hopefully sharing the latest finished items will get that mojo moving in the right direction!

First off, a new HeartCat amineko (the first one took a walkabout and was lost in the mail). Part of the reason I enjoy making these is how different each one is, even though I follow the same pattern and they are made with a similar intention. When I finished attaching the pieces of this one, I thought he could use a bowtie. And then I couldn’t get that idea out of my head. My gals at knittting agreed, a bowtie was the way to go. I used felt and a touch of white glue, so he’s still very kid safe. Another project for the marathon-of-warmth!

Next, what would have been a true Ravellenic Sweater success, had I started at the beginning of the Ravellenics, not half a week later. Still, a sweater made in under 2 weeks (sportweight! long sleeves!) is a success for me. The Beach Street Park sweater was a great pattern and I am considering making one for me. I adjusted the pattern a bit due to my gauge, so following a combination of numbers for the XS and M size resulted in a room sweater for the intended person (Zoe of the Good Karma Farm family, on the left), but also fit me with less ease (my selfie is not seamed or blocked, but you get the idea)

And then there were socks! These awesome stripey socks are my February Personal Sock club socks for the Stitch Addiction KAL. I really love them and their eye-searing Peep yellow and Peep pink. I am noticing a few things though – like, they fit and I’ll wear them, but I notice the toes skew a little bit when I wear them (maybe I need to find a toe that better fits my foot?) and do you see the slight rolls on the top of the foot? I think maybe they are slightly too big? My go-to for sock knitting has been US2 / 2.75mm so maybe I need to go down a size? Interesting. I don’t notice it when I’m wearing them (I have them on right now!) but it catches my eye in the photos.

Hello Friday! I am very excited to share this project this week. It’s an amineko / crochet cat friend – around here we affectionately refer to them as “HeartCats”. This is a custom project, specially requested for a new baby who is also facing some heart issues. As before, I used Plymouth Sockotta held doubled. I like this yarn because the colors are great but also the blend (cotton / wool / nylon) is soft yet sturdy and washable (key for any baby / kid item) and not fuzzy. I found out this yarn was discontinued, so I’m currently keeping my eye on sales and destashes to stock up. I posted to the Plymouth’s Facebook page and did get a response, which was quite nice. They have another sock yarn, Sakkie, that I might try, but I’m hesitant only because of the mohair content. Pretty stuff. I also finished a sample knit this week – for Plymouth actually! – but I sent it back without getting a picture of the finished object. That was a laceweight scarf – it turned out beautiful and was nice enough to knit with but confirmed for me that I am not a lace knitter. How about another amineko picture instead?

This week I have been working on the Cody Cardigan, a specially requested HeartCat, a pair of socks, and the Once Upon a Time Sampler. I like having a variety of projects as it stretches my hand muscles in different ways and keeps my attention. I am expecting to get moving on a few other projects over the next few days, I just can’t resist. The Cody Cardigan has to be kept in a zippered project bag for now as Jackson has gone after the yarn twice. I usually don’t have this issue with any other yarn (wool, alpaca or mohair) and I haven’t noticed any eau du doggie (even when the swatch was wet), but I’m not going to question Jackson’s nose. I’ve just finished the second buttonhole row and have finished one ball of yarn. I am pleased with how this project is working up, but it is very fuzzy and, no surprise, sheds. A few too many inhaled fibers is my sign to take a break from the knitting. The HeartCat is in the finishing stages and I’ll be sharing him in more detail on Friday. The little bag the HeartCat is in is from GirlCaveBags; I love the shape and it is just the right size. This was also the bag I used to hold Violet’s HeartCat, so I figure there is good juju with it. I do have an inkling to have a HeartCat specific project bag made (by myself or someone else) with Japanese fabric. I started looking on etsy and pinterest and that’s a whole other rabbit-hole.

Reading-wise, I’ve signed up for an online course to learn more about search engines and SEO. This will be the second online course I’ve taken through ed2go.com – it connects you with online schools and adult education programs.